


Fantastic Scars and How Newt Got Them

by licenseddrugdealer



Series: Fantastic Beasts [3]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, newt's scars, sort of, story time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-07 19:36:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8813587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/licenseddrugdealer/pseuds/licenseddrugdealer
Summary: Newt begins telling Tina the stories of how he got all those scars.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation of A Rose Between Two Thorns. Enjoy!

"Ah, you see, that is the story of how I got expelled from Hogwarts."

Tina's face  fell. "We don't have to start with that one," she said.

"No, no, it's fine. I don't . . . I mean . . . you should hear it at any rate," said Newt. "I'm not really sure where to start though."

"Well, tell me what exactly did this?" she asked tracing the little divots.

"Um, an exploding cauldron . . . ?" he said, then he waited for her reaction. It seemed her interest was piqued so he went on. "The official story is that I was attempting to brew liquid luck that I would then sell, for profit, during exams week."

"Newt! That's not true is it?!" Tina was aghast. That sounded nothing like the man she knew.

"No, of course not," he said. "You see, I only had one friend in school and I was her only friend there as well."

"Leta Lestrange," said Tina. She'd been slightly jealous of that woman since the moment she set eyes on that stupid picture.

"Yes. We were both . . . different from everyone else, so we only had each other. Leta was constantly getting in trouble because she didn't care about breaking the rules and I was constantly getting in trouble because I couldn't figure out how to stop. Seemed like everything I did was against some ridiculous rule. Couldn't take two steps inside that castle, or out of it, without someone yelling."

Tina snorted. That sounded more like him. He carried around that case of highly illegal magical creatures because he believed in what he was doing, that he was right and the law was wrong. He knew from experience that the law was not always just but he refused to allow it to bend him into someone he didn't like just because it had the power to do so.

"We'd both nearly been expelled several times before that. She would usually calm down afterwards, for a few months at least. I didn't know what got into her that year. She came back from summer holiday and she was just different. I only caught her brewing that potion on accident. When I tried to convince her to stop . . . she sort of . . . went mad, started ranting about all sorts of things I didn't really understand. She didn't notice when the cauldron began smoking. I did though and I was mostly sure it wasn't supposed to do that. I managed to pull her away just before it all blew up." For a moment Newt was lost in the memory of blinding golden light and pain. Tina leaned in closer to him.

"The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital wing. She wasn't there and I panicked, thought maybe I didn't pull her away in time, maybe she was dead. So I snuck out. No one realized I was awake yet anyways so it wasn't that hard except it hurt quite a lot. Healing wounds from a failed liquid luck potion is apparently a very unlucky task," Newt chuckled. "I was caught eventually though. The headmaster was very unamused but highly impressed that I'd gotten as far as I did. Turns out Leta was fine. Not a scratch on her."

"Once they started asking me what had happened, I didn't see any reason to lie. I figured she'd told them some story but there was no way I'd be able to guess what it was so I just didn't speak. And I refused to speak at all until they let me see her," he paused there. Not sure how to explain the next part.

"Leta's father was . . . not a nice man. He maintained, loudly, in front of Leta on multiple occasions, that he was not her father. That her mother had been unfaithful. I don't know if it was true. He was cruel though. When they finally let me see her, I found out that he gotten quite drunk at one point that summer, went too far. I won't share the exact details but what he did was . . . unforgivable, if you catch my meaning." Tina's eyebrows shot up and she looked questioningly at him. He couldn't mean . . . on his own daughter?!

"Yes," Newt said. "I guess that was why she seemed so different. Like nothing mattered to her anymore. If she was treated the same by him, no matter what she did, then she thought she could do whatever she wanted. She didn't realize what she should have been doing was trying to stay at school. She was safe from him while she was there. If she was expelled, I really have no doubt that he would have killed her and I couldn't just do nothing. Couldn't let that happen. So I confessed. Told the headmaster it was all my fault and that Leta was trying to stop me and all that. It didn't take much to convince her to go along with it. She was finally properly terrified of incurring her father's wrath. I guess that, seeing me get hurt like that because of something she'd done, must have knocked some sense into her."

They both sat there in silence for a few minutes. Tina was taking it all in. She wasn't sure how she felt about Leta now. But she was definitely in love with Newt.

"Thank you for sharing that with me. I know that must be difficult," to her horror, her voice cracked.

"Tina? Are you crying?" Newt asked incredulously.

"No," Tina hastily wiped her eyes and hid her face against his chest.

"You are . . . what for?" he asked. That was farthest from the reaction he expected.

"I'll tell you later," she said, wiping her eyes one last time before standing up. Newt looked at her skeptically. "I will. But I think I need to check on Queenie and Jacob. They've been down there for a while."

Newt was confused but he took it in stride. "Okay . . . I think I'm going to go have a bath if that's okay. I must have sweat a lake full last night." Tina nodded.

"Can you make it?" she asked.

"Yes I think I'll be fine. You're welcome to come join me after if you'd like . . . oh god, no, I don't mean in the bath. Just . . . I meant in that general area . . . of the flat. I could tell you another story." Newt was back to that wonderful shade of red that made Tina's heart soar. She laughed.

"Okay." She leaned down and kissed him once, very sweetly on the lips before heading down into the suitcase.

Newt realized suddenly what he'd done. _Idiot. You're so desperate for her company that you volunteered to share more personal information._ He was doomed.


	2. Chapter 2

Tina took Newt up on his offer. She came in and sat down, leaning back against the bathtub while Newt soaked in the steaming hot water. "Everything going alright in my case?" Newt asked.

 

"Yes, Queenie and Jacob were just finishing up. Picket was apparently rallying the bowtruckles to rebellion. But Jacob got them calmed down okay. They're reassured now that you're just fine." Newt laughed.

 

"That's not surprising at all really," he said.

 

"So . . . How about that one on your back. The big one, looks like a burn?" Tina asked. The scar she was referencing was in fact from a burn. It was the largest as well, covering most of the right side of Newt's back.

 

"Okay," Newt said. He wasn't expecting her to go for the largest one but he was locked in now. "That was from the war."

 

"I was working with dragons, Eastern front. We were training them to fight but also carry out supply runs. They could get in and out of an area without landing which was a huge advantage. I didn't really agree with using them to fight but I figured I couldn't do anything to help if I wasn't there at all."

 

"There was one particular dragon that, out of the blue, just would not cooperate. She had a very docile history and one day she just wouldn't let anyone come near her. They thought maybe she'd caught some sickness. None of the other trainers could bond with her, and they were ready to put her down. Turns out, she was pregnant. Any time the dragons spent together was supposed to be closely monitored but apparently they slipped up and no one realized it. She was close to laying an egg, which explained her behavior. She was just trying to protect it. Perfectly natural. I was the first to recognize the signs and I tried to get the others to listen but they were going to put her down anyways. Said they didn't have the resources to feed another dragon and they didn't want to take the chance of her turning on them for killing her baby, so they were just going to kill her!"

 

"That's terrible," Tina said.

 

"I know! So I went to her enclosure and entered it to find that she'd already laid the egg. When the others arrived, I tried again to convince them to reconsider but they wouldn't have it. In retaliation, I refused to leave the enclosure. It was a huge breach of protocol to spook a dragon when someone was in close proximity to them so I figured if I just stayed put, they would have to give up eventually. One of the men, he was a real tosser, thought he'd just go ahead anyways, even though they'd been given orders to stand down. He fired a spell at her, the dragon, when I was standing with my back to her, trying to show them she wasn't dangerous if she was handled properly. She couldn't help it of course. That didn't make it hurt any less though."

 

"What happened to the dragon?" Tina asked. Newt was happy she was asking the right question. Most people hearing the story wanted to know what happened to him. He was obviously fine, wasn't he? Standing there telling the story. Or sitting in this case.

 

Newt grimaced, "Once they got me out, they put her down. But fortunately, the egg was saved so at least some good came out of it. I feel sure I could have convinced them otherwise if I'd been coherent, but burns are nasty things. They kept me unconscious until it was mostly healed. Didn't wake up until it was already done."

 

"What about that man? The one who disobeyed orders and put you in danger?"

 

"He was court marshaled. Dishonorable discharge immediately. My brother saw to that. I don't normally like leaning on his influence but in that situation, I was willing to make an exception," Newt said.

 

"Good," Tina huffed.

 

Just then Queenie called into the bathroom. "Newt, you hungry? I'm cooking us up some lunch." Queenie didn't bother waiting for an answer as it wasn't really a question.

 

"Come on and join us then. I'm sure you've got a story that we can all hear," said Tina. She got up and headed out to the kitchen.   
  
_Do I?_ thought Newt. _Guess I should come up with one fast._


	3. Chapter 3

Newt sat down at the table, still not sure what story he could share that wouldn't make him, or anyone else at the table extremely uncomfortable. He was mostly hoping that Tina would have mercy on him and not actually make him tell any story. The food was heavenly, as usual. By the time they made it to dessert, everyone was pretty relaxed. Jacob seemed like he was about to slip into a food coma.

 

"You must be joking!" said Newt in response to something Queenie had said.

 

"No no no! She's serious. He went to school with us. This kids fingers had the same range of motion in both directions," Tina insisted.

 

"What? How do you mean?" asked Newt.

 

"Here," Tina said picking up his hand. She placed it palm down on the table. "Imagine you could catch a ball with this side of your hand." She turned his hand over so the palm was facing up now. "And imagine you could play the piano with your palms up like this," she said. Both he and Jacob made a face, trying to imagine how strange that would look.

 

"But how? Why?" asked Jacob.

 

"It was a quidditch accident. A bludger broke the bones in his hand so bad that they had to be completely regrown. Somehow, when the new bones grew in, it just . . . happened," Queenie said.

 

"Well that's hardly fair. I can't do that," Newt said, staring intently at his hand, fingers straining as he tried to make them bend back farther than they were capable.

 

"What, you had to . . . regrow bones too?" Jacob asked. The words sounded so foreign to him. Now he was wondering if regrowing bones was common among wizards. Should he be worried? What were they all doing that they needed to _regrow bones?!_

 

"Oh yes. See if you look you can sort of see the scar. It doesn't stand out as much as the others." Newt pointed to a whitish patch on the front and back of his hand.

  
"I've never noticed that one before," Tina said. She took his hand and pulled it closer to her face for inspection. "What's this from? Not quidditch?"

 

"No it's from my niffler," Newt said.  
  
"What?! He has a bill like a duck. I don't believe his bite could have done that!" said Jacob.

 

"I never said he bit me."

 

"Ooh story time," Queenie said.

 

"Oh alright," said Newt. He supposed this story was mostly harmless.

 

"The first time I went to South America, I happened upon a group of muggles who were poaching jaguars for their coats. Usually I don't get involved with non-magical creatures but I wasn't going to just let them kill those beautiful animals for no good reason. I snuck into their camp at night and I was just planning to use magic to destroy their hunting equipment. I couldn't find any guns though which I thought was odd. I was nearly caught but I managed to get away without any of them seeing me."

 

"When I got back to my camp, I entered the case to discover why the poachers didn't have any guns. My niffler had snuck out just before me and stolen them all. Literally every gun in the whole camp. There must have been 20 easily. When I tried to explain they were dangerous and take them away, little bugger shot me. Right through the hand!" Newt said.

 

"Oh my god, Newt! You were shot by a niffler?!" said Tina.

 

"Yes, but he didn't mean to. He felt so bad. I came back from getting it healed and found my bed full of his favorite shiny things," Newt said.

 

"Awww, see he's not that bad," Jacob said to Tina.

 

"He is too, and he's going to hear about it from me next time I see him!" Tina shouted. The four of them sat in silence for a few seconds before all bursting into uncontrollable laughter. _Yes, that was just the right story_ , Newt thought.


	4. Chapter 4

After lunch Newt laid down for a nap on the couch. He was still sore and tired from the night before. Tina let him sleep for an hour before she decided to wake him.

 

"Newt," she said as she combed her hand through his curls.

 

"Hmm?" he hummed sleepily, not bothering to open his eyes.

 

"Do you think you might like to go for a walk? Get some fresh air?" she asked. Newt blinked slowly.

 

"Yes, that sounds lovely," he said groggily. He raised his hands above his head and stretched before slowly rolling up and off the couch. "Where are we going?" he asked.

 

"Maybe we can make it to central park? We can apparate back as long as we find a spot where the no-majs won't see."

 

"Alright," he said with a lazy smile. Tina waited while Newt put on some warmer clothes and then they departed quietly. Unfortunately Mrs. Esposito's rule about male guests had not changed.

 

The two strolled calmly down the sidewalk, hand in hand. There was a comfortable silence between them as they simply enjoyed the sights and sounds of the city. It took them about an hour to reach the edge of the park. Once there they walked through the trees and fields, down the paths, until they found a nice bench to sit on and rest. Newt sat with his arm around Tina and they watched as people passed.

 

"How long will you stay?" Tina asked Newt.

 

"As long as you'll have me," Newt said. "I haven't got anywhere else I need to be. Now that my book is published I can certainly afford to take some time off. I can't think of a better way to spend it than here, with you." He ducked his head shyly and looked away. He was blushing again. Silly man, Tina thought.

 

"I can't think of a better way for you to spend it either," said Tina. She reached her gloved hand around to guide his face back in her direction. They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments. Newt suddenly felt an unusual boldness. He brought his hand up to her face, mirroring her own actions, and then leaned in to kiss her. He certainly hadn't intended for it to turn into the deep impassioned kiss it had, but he wasn't complaining either. A pointed cough interrupted them. They looked up to see a woman, looking quite unimpressed. Her two children were on either side of her, holding her hands.

 

Newt quickly looked away, blushing hard but also trying not to laugh. "Sorry mam," Tina answered for both of them. The woman nodded her head and h'mphed at them before turning and quickly walking away with her nose upturned, dragging her children behind. Tina and Newt looked at each other and both began giggling.

 

"I suppose we should reserve that for private from now on," Newt said, still laughing.

 

"Yes probably," Tina agreed. They fell into an easy silence once more. Tina rested her head on Newt's shoulder.

 

"Tina," Newt said eventually. "I have something I'd like to give you. You don't have to take it. I know we've only just started dating but I just think . . . Well, here." He pulled a large bulky ring out of his pocket and presented it to Tina. "It's my class ring from Hogwarts. I was in my seventh year before I was expelled so I already had my ring. It's a bit of a tradition there to give it to someone who you want to show a commitment to. I thought maybe you'd like to have it?" he asked nervously. Tina silently took the ring from his hand and held it up closer to her eyes for inspection. There was a bright smile on her face that was helping to calm Newt's nerves. "So that's a yes then?" he asked when she was silent a few too many seconds.

 

She looked up from the ring, her smile now landing on Newt. "Yes," she said, pulling him down for another kiss, ignoring their earlier decision. They both pulled away smiling. Newt pulled Tina closer and she curled in to him. They sat for a while longer before Tina said, "It's starting to get dark, we should probably head back."

 

Newt nodded and stood, pulling Tina up with him, and they walked off to find a more secluded area where they could disapparate. Any stranger passing them would have thought they just won the lottery with the way they were grinning. As it often happens, their happiness would be short lived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, I'm starting a darker AU that's going to pick up where this story leaves off. It's gonna hurt a lot, especially for Newt and Tina, but I think it'll be worth it. Stay tuned.


End file.
